Federal investigators, tens of millions of dollars in laundered money, and multiple international drug cartels; it’s not the plot to a movie, but the subject of a plea deal struck in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Virginia.
According to court documents two Chinese nationals laundered millions of dollars related to the import of illegal drugs mostly via the Mexican border. Co-Conspirators in China and other foreign countries used a complex scheme including the purchase and shipment of bulk electronics to hide the true source of money.
Li Pei Tan of Buford, GA, and co-conspirator Chaojie Chen of Chicago, IL, worked with local and international contacts to deliver drugs including fentanyl and cocaine throughout the United States. Chen was arrested in May and plead guilty on August 5th. Tan was arrested in South Carolina.
As part of their plea arrangement, Tan and Chen surrendered firearms, body armor, a residence, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in currency. They also agreed to over $23 million in financial judgements.
Chen will be sentenced November 14 and Tan February 7, 2025. Each person faces up to 20 years in prison
These arrests are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit.